I suppose I'll start this A/N with some sad news. I thought about it, and I decided this would be the final chapter. It's essentially an epilogue. I feel a little different finishing this one, opposed to Choke. Probably because this one isn't going to have a sequel. And I'm getting distracted by Walking Dead while writing this. I suppose that's my cue to end things. So, I'm going to be only working with three stories for a while now. Um, yeah, I suppose that's all for now. I have zombies to watch, and shit just went down at the prison.

Warning: Implied sex. Maybe some language.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 19

"This is unacceptable," Zeus growled. "Hades, I know you had something to do with this!"

Hades calmly laced his hands together in his lap. "Dear brother, I assure you, I have done nothing wrong," he responded.

Zeus narrowed his eyes at him before turning to his other brother. "How can you sit there so calmly?"

Poseidon shrugged. "What harm is it doing?" Poseidon sighed. "My only concern is for what makes my son happy, which he seems to be. Should that ever change, you will be the first to know. Though, I do hope that your concern is not that it is two boys together."

"It's not like you haven't had your own share of male lovers," Apollo pointed out. He cleared his throat and sunk into his seat when his father glared at him.

"I still think Reyna would have been the better choice," Artemis argued.

"That's because you don't like males in general," her brother mumbled. Artemis narrowed her eyes and growled at her brother, who merely stuck his tongue out at her in return.

"Will you two stop acting like children," Athena sighed, rubbing her temple.

"I'll grow up when he does," Artemis retorted.

"Says the goddess who always looks like an eight year old little girl," Apollo shot back.

"Can we focus?" Zeus yelled, slamming his fist down on his throne. Thunder boomed in the sky.

Hades sighed and rested his cheek on his hand. He glanced over at Aphrodite, who didn't seem to even be paying attention to the other bickering gods. She was too consumed with applying more makeup onto her ever changing face. Hades figured it was only a matter of time before the others dragged her into the middle of the argument, but she didn't seem too concerned with the possibility.

"Perhaps you are just being a little paranoid," the love goddess finally chimed in, not even taking her eyes away from her mirror.

Zeus's nostrils flared at her. "How dare you make such an accusation?" He growled.

Aphrodite shrugged. "Just pointing out the truth. You're concerned about this because your son suffered from the event, yes, but, your main issue with it is that it is a relationship between your brothers' children."

"Perhaps she has a point," Demeter agreed.

Zeus tapped his fingers on his throne. "It's not like a child will come of it," he grumbled.

Aphrodite smiled and clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Now, you can just appreciate the wonderful love that will blossom between the two boys," Aphrodite squealed. "And it's not like they want to question your rule. They just want to be happy after all they've been through."

"Why do I have the feeling that you had something to do with this?" Hera asked.

Aphrodite waved her hand through the air. "I assure you that I never made them fall for each other. Where would be the fun in that? But, I must admit, the relationship does intrigue me. It's so complex. After all that has happened between them, they can still make a relationship work. It's not an easy relationship like last one I had Percy end up falling for."

"Excuse me? That is my daughter you are talking about," Athena complained, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aphrodite shrugged. "I got bored with them," she said dismissively.

"She was the better choice for him."

"I believe that is for my son to decide," Poseidon butted in.

Hades wanted to kick back and put his hands behind his head. It was satisfying to watch a plan come together so well. Now, he had a possible alliance with Percy's father. Zeus would probably keep sticking his foot in his mouth, which Hades would never stop enjoying.

The only thing that concerned him at the moment was Aphrodite. There was always the chance that the goddess would grow bored with her project, which could result in Nico getting hurt. If that were to ever happen, he would not hesitate to make her favorite daughter miserable. Like his son's truce with Reyna, his work with Aphrodite was finished. Now, they just had to wait and see if she let the couple stay together.

"He was happy with Annabeth!" Athena argued.

"'Was' being the key word in that statement," countered Poseidon. "She broke his heart. I will not have him go running back to her. Besides, he seems happy with Nico now, and as I said, I just want my son to be happy."

"As I want mine," agreed Hades, receiving a nod from Poseidon.

"What about Reyna? Surely, she would make Percy happy," argued Hephaestus.

"And that is for Percy to decide," Poseidon retorted. He turned his gaze on Hades. "And it's not like I've been soft on Nico. I've made it clear to the boy that I do not want my son's heart broken again."

"I agree with Poseidon, as long as young Perseus is happy," Hermes chimed in. Apollo, Dionysus, Demeter, and Hestia all nodded in agreement.

"Wonderful!" Aphrodite squealed again. "Perhaps we could give them their own show on Hephaestus TV." Hephaestus placed his forehead into his palm.

"No!" Hades and Poseidon said in unison.

"I do not want my son's love life, and possibly future sex life, on display for everyone," Poseidon continued.

Aphrodite sighed. "Fine, fine, have it your way," she pouted. "Just ruin all of my fun."

"Are you planning on coming down anytime soon?" Percy inquired with a grin. He brushed at his wet bangs and turned his head to look at his boyfriend, who was clinging to him for dear life. They had only been dating for a month, but Percy hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"The last time we went swimming, a shark rammed into me," Nico countered, tightening his grip on Percy.

Percy chuckled. "He was just trying to play tag."

"He didn't even bother slowing down!" Nico argued, flailing his arms.

Percy smiled and turned around in Nico's grasp. He let out a sigh of contentment as he wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. Since the boy was refusing to let go of him, he was solely responsible for keeping them afloat. Perhaps his father was being a little protective, but he trusted that his father wouldn't actually hurt Nico.

Percy leaned in for a brief kiss before brushing Nico's wet hair out of his eyes. "It's not like anything is going to get you, we're in the Little Tiber," Percy reminded him.

"That wouldn't stop a god," Nico pouted, but released his hold on Percy, slipping down into the water. Percy placed another kiss on Nico's forehead. The Son of Hades squirmed and tried to move away. "Percy, people are watching."

Percy shrugged. "So? Let them watch."

Nico opened his mouth to protest, but Percy seized the opportunity to slip his tongue into Nico's mouth. Nico's eyes widened momentarily before slowly drifting closed. The young demigod's hands eventually stopped trying to push Percy away, and Percy used this to pull Nico closer to his half naked body.

Percy smirked into the kiss when he felt Nico harden against him. "You know," Percy began, "I don't believe I've seen you naked yet."

Nico's cheeks darkened. "And what has brought this up?"

"Well, you got to see me naked."

"That was before you knew I liked you," Nico countered.

"Still," Percy replied, yanking playfully on Nico's swimming trunks, "I think it is only fair."

"Percy, we're in public," Nico whined, trying to smack the Son of Poseidon's hand away.

Percy pecked Nico on the lips. "You're under the water." Nico squeezed his eyes shut as Percy slipped his hands into the back of Nico's trunks. Nico clutched Percy tighter. Percy smiled and kissed Nico's cheeks, removing his hand from the younger one's bottom. "But, if it'll make you happy, I'll stop."

Nico chewed on his lips. "I didn't say I wanted you to stop. I would just rather do that stuff in private."

Percy smiled and hugged Nico to him, bringing a pout to the younger one's lips. "I'm not ready to go that far anyways."

"Then why did you want to see me naked?" Nico inquired, tilting his head to the side.

Percy shrugged. "Is it wrong for someone to want to see his boyfriend naked?"

Nico rolled his eyes and pushed himself free of Percy's arms. Percy swam after him as they headed for the shore. They reached their towels, where Nico laid down on his stomach and let out a long sigh. Percy sat beside him, gazing out at New Rome across the lake.

It looked like things were finally working out for him and, hopefully, it would stay that way. He leaned back, resting on his elbows. He looked down at his resting boyfriend with a smile. The Son of Hades had his eyes closed and was unaware that he was being watched. Percy found that he liked watching Nico in this state. He was vulnerable, and looked so peaceful.

Percy leaned over and placed a kiss on Nico's pale back. They had both been through a lot in their lives, and Percy hoped that they could be able to make each other happy. He knew he felt Nico deserved it. Even after all the times he had been upset with Nico, the young boy had had a hard life, and Percy hoped that some of those wounds could be mended.

And with everything that had happened, Percy was hoping that Nico was growing up. Given that Nico had confessed his feelings, Percy figured that he wouldn't have to worry about Nico betraying him like he had in the past. He figured they were finished with that chapter of their lives, and now, it was time to move on to a new one. One that they would write together.

Jason nodded his head as he listened to Annabeth continue on her rant. If he were being honest, he wasn't even sure what she was currently talking about. He was currently too busy watching Piper at the moment. The Daughter of Aphrodite was laughing at something the Stolls were saying. The girl had been spending a lot of time with them lately, though Jason wasn't sure if there was anything going on. It would be a little odd to try and date brothers at the same time.

Over the past month, Piper seemed happy with everything. She had still not forgiven him, and hadn't even spoken to him yet. He had asked Leo to try and talk to her for him, but Leo had said she didn't want to speak to him. So, Jason had sulked for a week or two. After that, he and Annabeth had ended up in this current awkward relationship. He wasn't sure if they were officially dating, but it sort of felt like they were.

He wasn't even sure if he would ever feel the same way about Annabeth that he did for Piper, and the same could be said for Annabeth when it came to him and Percy. It was just a mutual way of settling after their losses. Thalia had left with the hunters after a week of making sure that everything had cooled off.

"Jason, are you even listening?" Annabeth asked, rubbing her temple.

Jason averted his eyes from Piper to look at the blonde in front of him. He blinked at a few times. "I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind," he apologized.

Annabeth sighed. "It's fine. I'll just go talk it over with Malcolm."

Jason blinked at the blonde as she walked away. "I'll, uh, talk to you later, I guess."

Jason plopped down with a sigh. The days had started to feel longer ever since the incident with Piper. And it didn't help that his authority had diminished since then as well. Campers didn't want to listen to him as much anymore. He figured it had to do more with being a factor in Percy and Annabeth up, rather than him cheating on Piper.

He glanced up when he felt someone tap his head, finding Leo grinning down at him. "Why so glum, buddy?" Leo asked, taking a seat at Jason's table.

"Long day," he mumbled.

Leo scrunched his lips. "Campers still giving you a hard time?"

"What gave it away?"

Leo shrugged. "I'm sure it will pass. They can't hate you forever."

Jason raised an eyebrow at Leo. "I'm sure they will certainly try," he replied. Clarisse and a lot of the others had definitely made it their initiative to make him miserable. He felt if they could trade him for Percy, they would.

"They'll get over it," Leo reassured him. "You just have to get your rep back up."

"They want Percy, not me. That's what all of this mess has been about. And now they are all unhappy because Nico is keeping Percy to himself over in Camp Jupiter."

Leo grinned. "Which was probably not what they were expecting," he chuckled.

Jason sighed and hung his head. Ever since he had arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he had always felt that he came up short when it came to their golden boy. And it had only gotten worse when he had returned to Camp Jupiter. Percy had become praetor in just a few days! So, during the entire Giant War, he always tried his best, not wanting to fail. He was raised to be the best, but ever since the Giant War began, and he had gotten sent here, he hadn't really felt like he was.

And now he had messed up his life here. He had messed up with the one person that really mattered to him. He still didn't really understand what had happened there. Annabeth theorized it might have been Aphrodite, but Jason didn't think so. Why would the goddess want to break her own daughter's heart?

"You just have to prove yourself again," Leo said when Jason didn't say anything.

"Well, there isn't really a Titan, Giant, or angry Earth Goddess running around, now is there?"

Leo slung his arms behind his head. "You'll figure something out, I have faith in you. And who knows, you might even manage getting Piper back."

Jason sighed and chanced a glance over at his ex-girlfriend, who was still laughing with the Stolls. Did he want to try? He was scared that if he did, things would only get worse. That was how he had gotten into this mess in the first place, not settling on one girl. Maybe he should end things with Annabeth, if they even were together, and work on getting Piper back.

Leo placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. "She always saw past your faults, maybe in time, she will again," Leo said.

Jason frowned at him. Had he really fallen so low that Leo was being serious? "I don't know," he mumbled.

Leo grinned at him. "You can always borrow my strategy."

"I'm not writing on my arms and prancing around like I'm hot stuff," he said bitterly.

Leo shrugged. "It's only for professionals anyways," Leo joked before getting off the table and walking off, digging in his tool belt.

"Maybe he's right," Reyna mumbled, resting her chin on her palm.

Percy sat up from his place on his fellow praetor's couch, a heavy frown on his face. "You're not supposed to take his side. You're supposed to be on mine," he replied.

He and Nico had been dating a little over three months now, and today had marked their first fight as a couple. It had ended up escalating into a shouting match, which had barred him from his own home, which he thought was a little unfair, seeing as he had been nice enough to let Nico share his house in the first place.

Reyna shrugged. "Perhaps you are just going through a phase, though," she retorted.

Percy sighed, his face a mix between a scowl and a pout. "It's not a phase. I really care about Nico."

"How can you be sure it's not, though?"

Percy huffed. "It's just something I know. It's different when I'm with him, compared to when I was with Annabeth."

"Maybe it's just because you two never had a peaceful moment," she reasoned.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "No, I don't think that was it. But, I mean, perhaps that is a sign, in and of itself. Things are quiet, I'm with Nico, and I haven't been this happy for a long time. It's relaxing. I don't actually have to try with him. He's just happy with me the way I am. And he prioritizes me over a laptop."

Reyna sighed. "Well, I suppose only time will tell," she replied.

The green-eyed praetor shrugged. "I just don't think it's a phase." Then his eyes lit up. "I know how to fix this now." He stood up and pulled Reyna into a hug, her eyes widening. "Thanks, Reyna!"

Reyna stood still for a moment, but eventually pat him on the back. "Glad I could help?" She raised a brow when he pulled away from the hug. "What did I do exactly?"

Percy beamed at her. "I know what to say to assure Nico that he has nothing to worry about."

Reyna's lip twitched. "I'm so happy that I could help," she replied with a vacant tone.

"Thanks again," Percy chuckled before walking out the door, leaving an annoyed Daughter of Bellona behind him. He jogged down the road to his house, knocking on the door upon his arrival. He felt a little stupid doing so, but he didn't want something chunked at his head when he came in. So, he decided to play it safe. "Can I come in?" Percy asked, poking his head inside.

Nico rolled his eyes. "It's your house, Percy," he sighed.

Percy nodded and stepped inside, his cheeks a little red. Perhaps he should have just came in. "Are you still mad?" Percy asked cautiously.

Nico shook his head, staring down at the floor. "Just worried."

Percy raised an eyebrow as he took a seat next to the Son of Hades. "Why?"

"Because I know you went to talk to Reyna about our fight," Nico mumbled.

Percy tilted his head to the side. "Why would that bother you? I just needed someone to talk to."

Nico nodded. "I know, and that's why I'm trying not to be upset about it. I was just being jealous."

Percy cracked a smile. "Nico, are you jealous of Reyna?" He chuckled.

Nico scowled at him, chilling the space around the two of them. Percy didn't care, though. Since his first impression of Nico was that little ten year old boy playing Mythomagic, the whole radiating fear thing didn't bother him. And now that they were dating, he had to admit he found Nico arousing when he did it.

"So, why are you jealous of her?" Percy asked.

Nico blew at his bangs and looked away from Percy, keeping the dark glare in his eyes. "Because, I'm scared you're just going through a phase with me, and that you might go running off to her," Nico mumbled so quietly that Percy almost didn't understand it.

Percy smiled, grabbed Nico's head, and kissed the boy's temple. "You have nothing to worry about. I like you, Nico, and I know it's not just a phase."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Because of this," Percy replied, placing a kiss on Nico's lips.

When they pulled away, Percy was pleased to find the other boy smiling back at him, along with a faint blush on his cheeks. He had learned by now not to voice his amusement when Nico blushed. It had taken him a few mornings of waking up with a zombie in his bed, but he had learned.

"And what does, uh, that have to do with knowing that I'm not a phase?" Nico asked with a cough at the end.

Percy smiled at him. "Because, when we kissed for the first time, I couldn't stop thinking about it," Percy confessed.

"So you've said before."

Percy nodded. "Yes, but what I didn't say was that it made me think of my kisses with Annabeth."

Nico's smile fell. "Oh," he mumbled.

Percy chuckled and placed a kiss on Nico's forehead. "Because, it wasn't like the ones I had with Annabeth, and I found myself wanting to kiss you again. And every time we kiss now, I'm just reminded of the fact that I did make the right choice of who I picked to be with."

Nico practically tackled him. Percy laughed as he landed on his back, resting his hands on Nico's waist. The younger boy straddled his waist and leaned down to kiss Percy's lips. His smile slipped off his face when Nico moved to whisper in Percy's ear. "I'm ready now."

Percy's mouth fell open, his face turning red. "Are you, uh, sure?" He fumbled.

Nico smiled down at him before getting off of Percy. Percy watched as Nico walked towards the bedroom, yanking his shirt over his head on the way. Percy licked his lips and jumped off the couch. Nico yelped as Percy threw him over his shoulder and ran them into the bedroom, tossing Nico on the bed.

They hadn't had sex yet, and they had both decided to wait until they were both ready. Percy had figured he had been ready, he had just been waiting on Nico to decide, and now here it was. Percy knew they were both virgins. The only thing he had ever done sexually had been oral sex with Octavian, which really didn't help him with this scenario. He knew the logistics, but he also knew that everyone's first time was awkward.

But when Nico pulled him down into another kiss, all those fears were washed away. It was just the two of them, and neither of them was going to laugh at the other. Although, it was mainly on him not to mess up. Nico's job was just to sit back and enjoy while he did all the work.

When he glanced down at the half naked boy on his bed, illuminated in the low lighting, his heart started racing. It was small moments like this that he knew Nico wasn't just a phase. He knew he wanted to be with this boy, and that wasn't going to be changing as far as he was concerned.

See, I can do happy endings. This was supposed to be a happy fic. And since I was trying to keep this a relatively innocent fic, I decided to only imply the sex. Anyways, they both lived happily ever after. I have zombies to watch now so bye.